Colors. Head above chestnut-brown, which is also the prevailing color of the back and rump, the feathers of both the latter edged with pale cinereous, tinged with olive. Spot in front of the eye white, forming a partial superciliary line. A narrow stripe of black from each side of the lower mandible running downwards, above which is a stripe of white; intermediate space on throat nearly white; other under parts pale ashy, with a tinge of olive; quills brown; primaries edged externally with ashy; secondaries with pale chestnut-brown; tail reddish-brown, with crimped obscure transverse lines; bill dusky horn-color; feet pale. Hab. California. Spec. in Mus. Acad., Philada. Obs. Resembles in some measure _A. palustris_, but can be easily distinguished. It appears to be restricted to California, not having been observed in New Mexico or Texas. Ammodramus is the original orthography of the name of this genus given by Swainson as cited above, but that here given is universally adopted, and is much the most usual in generic names of similar derivation. [Illustration: Plate 21 The Black-headed Oriole Icterus melanocephalus (_Wagler_)] ICTERUS MELANOCEPHALUS.—(Wagler.) The Black-headed Oriole. PLATE XXI.—Adult Male. Again we portray an inhabitant of the land of the Mesquite and Mimosa. This handsome, though plain Oriole, when compared with some of its brilliant relatives of the same countries, is found throughout nearly the whole of Mexico, and extends its range northwardly into Texas and New Mexico. Mr. Pease, who accompanied the Army of the United States under General Scott, in Mexico, in 1847, observed it at Jalapa, and in the neighborhood of the city of Mexico, in considerable numbers. As a bird of Texas, this species was first brought to notice by Mr. Jacob P. Giraud, Jr., of New York, who received it in a collection of birds from that State, in 1834, and published a description of it in his “New Species of North American Birds,” p. 1 (1841). Since that time it has been found within the limits of the United States by several naturalists, but especially by Mr. John H. Clark, who, while attached as zoologist to the commission for running the boundary line between the United States and Mexico, neglected no opportunity of making investigations which have contributed much to the natural history of the regions necessarily passed through, and whose collection contained specimens of this species. To Mr. Clark we are indebted for the following note respecting this species: